Spanning fifty years, Doctor Who may be better identified for its impact on television viewers, but the universe of comics have had its share of significant tales of the Time Lord, and with the finale of Prisoners of Time, we reach a closing chapter on the comic book celebrations for the 50th anniversary.

With The Time Of The Doctor still to come on television on Christmas Day, there’s still much to come – but just like the impending regeneration into the Peter Capaldi Doctor, the concluding chapter of Prisoners of Time promises that the Doctor Who comic legacy will also continue into the future.

The Day Of The Doctor is here, and the War Doctor (John Hurt) must face his future selves (David Tennant and Matt Smith) before making a crucial decision that will impact the entire universe and the existence of the Time Lords and Gallifrey.

During TARDISblend 70, we discuss our thoughts as we review the 50th anniversary special, the implications of the plot, the special surprise appearances in the episode, and the impact on the future of Doctor Who. Additionally we dive into the other 50th specials: An Adventure in Space and Time and The Five-ish Doctors Reboot by Peter Davison.

We also look into 2014 and beyond – as to what we can expect from the new Peter Capaldi Doctor in Series 8. All this and more on the latest TARDISblend!

Random Timey Wimey Thoughts…
One Whovian Relives ‘Doctor Who: The Day Of The Doctor’

After so long a wait, the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who is here – The Day of the Doctor has come and gone, but will never be forgotten by Whovians in a long time. The big episode, written by Steven Moffat, has sent ripples through the fan community – with hugely positive reviews floating around the place.

Positive reviews for an anniversary episode of Doctor Who – now THAT must be a first. The previous anniversary specials – The Three Doctors, The Five Doctors, Silver Nemesis – are great in retrospect, from a nostalgic point of view; though all seemed to suffer from some unenthusiastic initial reactions from fans and critics alike – as well as cast and crew, too.

Not so for The Day of the Doctor, which aired globally on November 23, 2013. Mind you, this is not really a review, more a collection of random timey wimey thoughts in reaction to the new episode and its significance in the history of Doctor Who.

And bear in mind, in the words of River Song: Spoilers! They ARE below, so consider yourself alerted.

It won’t be long now till the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor, debuts in the U.S. But over in London, there’s a Doctor Who Official 50th Celebration happening and it saw the uniting of current Doctor Matt Smith and four former Doctors of the Classic Who era.

Check out the photo here below of Smith with his fellow Time Lords, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy, along with a video report from the event on this historic moment.

IDW’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who resumes with the Tom Baker issue of Prisoners of Time. While this fourth chapter continues some of the elemental highlights of the previous issue, there are some less-than-stellar characteristics that detract from the plot, though not enough to stop it from being an enjoyable read.

The overarching plot of Prisoners of Time looks at an as-of-yet undisclosed villain and enemy of the Doctor, who is invading moments from all 11 of his incarnations and kidnapping his companions. The motives and reasoning are not yet clear as to why he is doing this, though each Doctor will have their own issue, crowning in the 12th issue where presumably all Doctors will join forces.

In a rather captivating, though curious manner, you might find it astonishing that Gareth Roberts‘ adaptation of the Doctor Who adventure by Douglas Adams called Shada caused music to play in my head.

That sounds a little weird, of course. But when it comes to both Doctor Who and Douglas Adams, the strangeness should not only be expected by now, but mandatory par for the course.

Allow me to explain.

I have found, in my years of being an overly obsessive geek that the best adaptations of already established franchises inspire your mind to create the ambience of the universe you’re investing in. In all types of writing, a good author will not only be able to explain the scene to you, but totally immerse you in it: you can see the brightness (or gloominess) of the sky, you can almost feel the floors or walls of the setting, and you can smell the odors described, such as the scent of rain on a hot day… or petrichor, for example…

Bluewater’s unauthorized The Cast Of Doctor Who takes a glance into the backgrounds of a few of the actors who have taken on the role of The Doctor through the years. Without a standard comic storyline, the book serves more as an introduction to the series, specifically designed for newer fans that are interested about the Classic Doctor Who series.

The comic book oddly only looks at four official Doctors (plus a fifth outside canon which we will get to later). I’m guessing this limited examination was restricted based on space available for the publication of the comic. Overall, the comic examines William Hartnell as the First Doctor, Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor, and Matt Smith as the current Eleventh Doctor.

Some of you may remember last year about this time, just before Christmas, we wrote about an awesome Doctor Who and Star Wars mashup video done by Rick Kelvington. The video got a lot of attention online, quickly becoming a favorite among fans, and was even mentioned in Doctor Who Magazine. Now, Kelvington is back, with a brand new mashup of the two universes, where Jedi Knights and Time Lords meet.

Tom Baker‘s era tends to be the most favored among Classic Doctor Who followers – and justifiably so: the man spent 7 years in the role, longer than any other Doctor, embracing the role that would help redefine the series. From his era, recently released on DVD is The Sun Makers (finally available for rent on Netflix, along with a couple others I will be reviewing as well), first broadcast in 1977 during Season 15; and Tom Baker’s fourth season in the role.

As I write this post, I find myself quite envious of my TARDISblend co-host, Tom Cheredar, who was in attendance for the Doctor Who panel at San DIego Comic-Con this year.

In the famous Hall H, the panel began with grand fanfare, concluding with the Doctor Who theme blasting through the speakers as Matt Smith (the first ever Doctor to be nominated for a BAFTA Award) joined the stage — greeted with an almighty roar from the crowd… a beginning that gives a clear indication of how much bigger the 48-year old-series has become in the United States.

While David Tennant was a highly loved Doctor by U.S. fans, as a long-term fan I cannot recall a level of fandom appreciation for a current Doctor since the days of Tom Baker. It’s a clear indication that the series is currently in good hands, and that Smith is delivering not just to the expectations of showrunner Steven Moffat, but to fans on an international level as well.

Unfortunately Moffat was unavailable for the panel, but Smith was joined by his co-host Karen Gillan (who plays Amy Pond), producers Piers Wenger and Beth Willis, and writer Toby Whithouse.

First off, let’s get to some of the juicy tidbits about the upcoming episodes of Series 6 that was discussed by the panel…